Ariella Hanker

Dr. Ariella Hanker is an Assistant Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center, specializing in breast cancer research with a focus on therapeutic targeting of breast cancer-associated alterations and mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies. Her work spans HER2 inhibitors, antiestrogens, PI3K/AKT inhibitors, and CDK4/6 inhibitors.

• Education: B.Sc. in Chemistry from University of Virginia (2004), Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology from UNC Chapel Hill (2009)
• Postdoctoral Training: Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Dr. Hanker's research integrates transgenic mouse models, human breast cancer xenografts, and proteogenomic approaches to study resistance mechanisms. She has published extensively in high-impact journals like Cancer Discov and Nat Methods.

Her recent work includes cellular interaction mapping via spatial transcriptomics and targeting PRMT5 in CDK4/6-resistant cancers. She has received funding from the National Cancer Institute and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

• Scientific Awards: DoD Postdoctoral Fellowship, NCI K12 Career Development Award